Mira blinked her eyes open slowly, stretching her arms before sitting up in bed. There was still a trace of sleep fogging her mind, but when she noticed the empty space beside her, she kicked the blankets off her legs and left the room.
As she walked down the hallway of the penthouse, Mira picked up on the faint sound of pop music drifting from the kitchen, all upbeat rhythms and bass. But what truly caught her attention was the sweet smell of pancakes wafting through the air.
“Are you sure you don’t want to just make them the traditional way, Zoey?” Rumi asked, her laughter bubbling out at Zoey’s exaggerated, offended sigh.
“The traditional way is for the weak! I just need to get the hang of it.”
Rumi was perched on one of the stools, elbows resting on the kitchen island. One of the loose sleeves of her pajama shirt had slipped down, revealing the patterns on her skin.
Zoey stood at the stove, wielding a silicone spatula like it was a sword. Paired with her turtle-print pajamas, the sight would probably terrify any demon foolish enough to cross her.
Mira slipped behind Rumi, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on the older girl’s shoulder. Rumi let her fingers wander into Mira’s hair, gently scratching her scalp.
“What on earth are you two doing?” Mira mumbled, her voice still a little heavy with sleep.
“Bear-shaped pancakes!” Zoey announced proudly, as if that explained everything. To prove her point, she added another pancake to the pile on the plate in front of Rumi.
Mira’s nose wrinkled at the sight of the completely misshapen stack. Even if she squinted, she couldn’t see a bear in there.
But then Rumi glanced at her, offering a small smile and a shrug. The message was clear: Don’t argue.
Mira sank into the seat beside Rumi as Zoey slid a plate toward her, stacked high with a generous portion of pancakes.
Zoey watched her expectantly, eyes shining as Mira took her first bite.
And Mira had to admit it—whatever shape they were supposed to be, the pancakes were delicious. Zoey let out a triumphant giggle at the obvious win.
“Didn’t I tell you, Rumi? Bears make everything better.”
Mira was far too busy devouring her so-called bear pancakes to pay much attention to their conversation.
“I’ll make sure to write that down,” Rumi teased.
